Sibbing machine



Dec. 28 1926. 1,611,946

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f H d5 O A vwl' y ener /vr//S' ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 28, 1926.

UNITED STATES HOWARD SEVERN REGAR, 0F NORRISTOVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

RIIBIBING MACHINE.

Application filed .T une 21,

My invention relates more especially to such machines when used to produce drop stitch fabrics.

The usual method of producing such fabrics is by omissionof cylinder needles. @ne objection to that method is that the drop stitch is necessarily continued through the entire length of the tubular fabric to be produced including tucks, welts and the like. the result being imperfect tucks, welts, etc., and the production of plain courses is impossible.

Another objection is that omission of a needle leaves the drop stitch yarn straight and produces a comparatively unyielding stitch.

A further objection is that when the drop stitch fabric is joined to a differently knitted fabric an objectionable hole is left at the end of each line of drop stitches.

The object of my invention is to provide simple and effective mechanism whereby, without change in cylinder or dial and with a complete set of needles, a ribbing machine may be made capable of producing drop stitch fabrics without in any degree impairing its capacity for producing perfect plain courses, clearing courses, tuck stitches, welts or any other normal product of a ribbing machine; whereby the transition from drop stitch to other stitches may be made without leaving objectionable holes, and whereby a more yielding or elastic and more attractive drop stitch may be produced.

These results are produced by the use of long-latched and short-latched cylinder needles in conjunction with some changes in cam mechanism whereby the short-latched needles may be positioned to cause them to shed their loops, Without forming stitches, or positioned to perform the same functions as the long-latched needles.

In the drawings Figure l is a developed view of the cylinder needle guide way of a knitting machine embodying my invention,

Figure 2 a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Figure 1,

Fig. 3 an elevational view looking in the direction of the arrow X of Figure 2,

Figure 4f a section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2,

Figures 5 and 6 are top plan and side elevations of a clearing course raising cam somewhat modified from the usual cam for the purpose,

1922. Serial No. 570,018.

Figures 7 and 8 are top plan and side elevations of the long stud gear cam, also somewhat modified from the usual.

Figures 9 and 10 are elevations of short and long latched needles,

Figure l1 is a diagrammatic developed view of the cylinder needles in their guide my Figure 12 a fragmentary elevational view of the cylinder showing the triangular cam in its lower position,

Figure 13 a like view showing the cam in its intermediate position and illustrating its effect on the short latched needles to cause them to shed their loops,

Figure la a like view showing the trianguiar cam in its upper position and illustrating its effect on all the needles to cause them to shed their loops, the views shown in Figures 12, 13 and 111 being reversed relatively to those shown in Figures l and 11.

Figure 15 is a diagrammatic developed view of the cylinder needles in their guideway showing the action of the needles upon the yarn,

Figure 16 a fragmentary view of the tinished fabric, and Figure 17 is a fragmentary central section through a ribbing machine embodying my invention.

Inasmuch as my improvements are designed for use with ribbing machines of usual type and the changes from the usual mechanism are simple I have illustrated only as much of a ribbing machine as is essential to an understanding of the invention.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the rotatable cam casing, 2 the clearing course raising cam, hereinafter called the needle raising cam, 3 the cam post for raising and lowering the cam, 4 the pin extending from the post and riding on the face of the long stud gear cam,

5 the cam post spring exerting downward pressure on the cam post, 6 the long stud gear cam, 7 the long stud gear, 8 the long stud gear lever, 9 the short stud gear and 10 the short stud gear lever which is shown as provided with two engaging faces 10a and 10b.

The needle raising cam 2 differs from the usual construction in having its apex carried to a point instead of being slightly iattened or rounded being thereby adapted to raise the needles slightly higher than has been required. The same result would beattained by making the cam slightly higher without changing its shape. The long stud gear cam ditl'ers from the usual construction in having in its cam tace a ledge 6a whereby an intermediate position is provided for the needle raising cam. ln other words the stud gear cam is adapted to hold the needle raising cam in an intermediate position in which only the short latch needles will shed their loops for making the drop stitch wales and the usual high position, in which all cylinder needles shed their loops so that only the dial needles will knit the clearing course. rlhe short stud gear lever as shown, differs from the usual Construction in hav ing two engaging faces instead ot one. Any construction which provides a suitable short armed lever, in addition to the usual lever, would produce the saine result.

The disk, not shown, 'is provided with a suitable part adapted to engage the v.tace l0a of lever l() and iio'rce the lever inward unt-il ythe pin on cam post 3 reaches the ledge C@ in earn 6 and thereby holds the needle raising cam 2 in its intermediate position.

Except as Tabove indicated, the construction may be that of the usual ribbing inachine and the parts are loperated in the usual way.

ln Figures 9 and 10, l2 indicates a needle provided with a short latch l2a and 13 a needle provided with a longer latch 13a. The long-latched needles perform the usual function in the usual way. rlhe 'short-latch needles serve a double function. ln producing a drop stitch ta-bric 'they act to produce a drop stitch ot a novel kind but, when the end of the drop stitch part of the fabric is reached they perform the usual function of cylinder needles.

As shown in Figures ll to 14C the needles are arranged i-n a series in which there are tour long-latched needles, then one 'shortlatched needle, then four longelatched needles and one shortlatched needle, etc., but the series may be varied at will. Y

To knit plain ribbed courses, that is without dropped stitches, cam 2 is adj-usted to its low position, as shown in Figure l2, where it does not in any way atleet the need-les in their knitting operation. p y To knit dropped stitch courses, o'ain 2 is adjusted to its 'intermediate position shown Ain Figure 13, where -it raises vall cylinder'needles' to the same height. This height does not bring the lower end of long latch 13a, above its loop, but does bring the lower end of short latch 12a, above Vits loop. As the needles are moved downward by the usual cams, the lon-g latch lneedles 13 Vwill retain ltheir loops but the short latch needles 12 will shed or slip out of ltheir loops. As a result, the lines or wales ot the knit-ted fabric which were acted on by the short latch needles are not stitches, lbut merely threads v'ot arched shape extending from 'one Leifheit group ot `four vertical lines or wales of stitches, knitted by the long 4latch needles, to another group. These lines oi' arched threads are known as dropped stitches and are ident-ical with what is known as a run in a torn stocking.

As shown in Figure l5, the yarn is ted under the hooks of the needles, as indicated at A, all needles will be pulled down by the needle lowering cam indicated in dotted lines at le, the long latched needles will pull the yarn through previously formed loops as indicated at B, the short latched needle will p'ull the yarn down between the loops ot two long latched needles as shown at C, and torni an arch shaped l'oop l5 as shown in Figure 16. The knitting continues in the usual way until t ie need-les are en'aged by needle raising cani 2 which, being in its intermediate position as shown in Figure l5, will raise all olf the needles to the same height. This will carry the latch of the short latc'hed needle 'above the arched loop l5 indicated at l) and the loop in that needle will be shed when the needle is retracted by the needle lowering cam indicated in dotted lines at 16. rlhe latches of the long latched needles will not be carried above the arched loop l5 and will hold their loops. The result is that on the knitting operation one loop in live will not form a stitch and the arched loop l5 takes the place oit' the Astitch which, but 'l'or the action ot 'the short l'atclred needle, would have been formed. 'F he short latched needle 'functions to pull the yarn 'down to forni the arched loop but, in drop stitching, does not function to form a stitch.

To knit plain noni'i'bbed courses, tl at is a iabric knitted by tie dial needles only, A

without any drop stitches, `cam 2 is adjusted to its high position, as shown in Figure le, wl'iere it raises all cylinder needles to a height which brings the lower ends of both the long and short latch needles above their loops. the needles are moved downward by the usual cams, all cylinder needles will shed or slip out oi" their loops, so that the fabric is knitted only 'by the dial needles.

The low position Aof cam 2 is the usual position tor causing the needles to knit a plain ribbed fabric by both dial and cylinder needles. The high position is the usual position for knitting a plain non-ribbed lah ric by the dial need-les only. The intel mediate position ot cam 2 is the position, which, if long and short latch needles are used, will cause only the short latch needles to shed yor slip 4out or" their loops.

When needles are omitted for the drop stitch the transverse strands ot yarn yare left practically straight and form a comparatively unyielding connection between the adjacent lines of regular stitching. lWith the short-latch needle engaging the .yarn and A. it El pulling it into loop form a Wider dropspace is made and the connection is more yielding or elastic, The Wider drop-space is somewhat more conspicuous and produces a more attractive appearance than the old type.

Vith the cam 2 in its lovv position the shortelatched needles ffunctio'n, I@exactly as the other cylinder needles function and the machine has all the capacities of a ribbing machine With a full complement of identical needles including the capacity for making tuck stitches, Welts, loose course, clearing course etc. These stitches and courses will differ from such stitches and courses made by machines in which needles are dropped by having all the stitches complete.

Inasrnuch as the juncture between the rib top and plain or fiat knitting is ordinarily a Weak place it is a material advantage to produce several pla-in courses at this point which can only be done by a machine having all needles in operation.

When a top with a drop stitch is used as a double turn-over top the effect of this drop stitch is lost in the turn-over but, by producing the drop stitch on a two-feed ribber so arranged that two loops are talren and shed by the short-latched needles a much Wider drop stitch effect is produced and Will be effective in a turn-over top While I have described my invention as taking a particular form, it will be understood that the various parts of my invention may be changed Without departing from the spirit thereof, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise construction set forth, but consider that I am at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. In a ribbing machine, the combination with short-latched and long-latched cylinder needles of a needle raising cam, a long stud gear cam having a face adapted to hold the needle raising cam in an intermediate position to shed from the short-latched needles only, and means for actuating the long stud gear cam to so position the needle raising cam.

2. In a. ribbing machine the combination With short-latched and long-latched cylinder needles of a needle raising cam, a cam post having a pin, a long stud gear, a long stud gear cam having faces adapted in c0- operation With the cam post and its pin to raise the needle raising cam from lovv to intermediate position, a short stud gear, and a lever carried thereby adapted to actuate the stud gears to rotate the stud gear cam and raise the needle-raising cam to its intermediate position to shed from the shortlatched needles only.

In a ribbing machine, the combination with short-hitched and long-latched cylinder needles of a needle raising cam, a cam post fixed to said needle raising cam, a spring nor nally depressing said post and cam, a stud shaft, a cam on the upper end of said stud shaft, a pin on said post resting on the last mentioned cam, said last mentioned cam having a face adapted to hold the needle raising cam in an intermediate position to shed from the short-latched needles only.

Li. A device as set forth in claim 3 in which the cam on the stud shaft is. provided with a face engaging the pin on the cam post to move said first mentioned cani to either upper, intermediate, or lower positions and hold the same in the desired position, and means for actuating the last mentioned cam.

In testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specification.

I-IOl/VARD SEVERN REGAR. 

